


miscalculations

by ashley_in_the_know



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26053933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashley_in_the_know/pseuds/ashley_in_the_know
Summary: in which everyone learns the dangers of underestimating your opponent
Relationships: Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, canon pairings
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

“What are we even still _doing_ out here?” Rosalie gripes, dangling upside down from a tree branch in her boredom. “The tracker is dead, the redhead disappeared hours ago. Alice says Bella is going to be _fine_.”

Esme just barely represses a frustrated sigh. Rose isn’t technically _wrong_ , Charlie Swan is in no immediate danger, their presence here is largely unnecessary, but her attitude towards this whole ordeal has been...trying. To say the least.

(Also, Esme can’t shake the feeling that Alice is missing something, that something terrible is going to happen the second they let their guard down.)

“Rosalie...” she warns, putting on what Emmett calls her “mom voice”.

Rose goes on as though she didn’t hear her. “You know they wouldn’t be sending Em home if it wasn’t safe. There are a million other things we could be doing right now, this is a massive _waste of time_.”

“ _Rosalie!”_ It comes out sharper than she intended, and she feels a pang of guilt at the hurt that flickers in her daughter’s eyes. Which are pitch black. Shit. She really should have realized. Rose can be prickly at the best of times, but her attitude is always at its worst when she’s hungry.

“I’m sorry, Esme,” Rose says, pulling herself upright in the tree so she can rest her head on Esme’s shoulder.

Esme sighs. “I’m sorry, too,” she says, kissing the top of her head. “Take an hour or so,” she suggests, “Run, hunt, call Emmett. Do whatever you need to blow off some steam.” She gives a playful nudge. “And then I expect you back here with a _much_ better attitude, young lady.”

Rose chuckles, but there’s concern etched into every line of her face. “Are you sure?” she asks. “You’ll be alright here by yourself?”

She resists the urge to roll her eyes. It’s true that she’s not a skilled fighter, but she’s still a _vampire_ for God’s sake. She’s not nearly as fragile as her family seems to think she is. “Like you said, the danger has passed,” she says, trying to convince herself as much as Rosalie. “Victoria is long gone. I can babysit Charlie by myself for an hour. You have your phone?” Rose nods. “I’ll let you know if I need you to come back.”

Rose nods again, her gaze drifting towards their usual hunting grounds. She turns back to Esme. “Only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” she insists, pushing Rose out of the tree with a laugh. “Go.”

She swears she can feel something watching her as Rose sprints away into the night, but the forest hasn’t changed when she risks a glance over her shoulder. She shakes her head, laughing at herself. There’s no reason for her to be paranoid. Alice would text or call if anything changed.

Still, the feeling of being watched doesn’t go away, even after twenty minutes have passed. And is it a trick of the light, or does she actually see a flash of red among the dark green of the foliage? She pulls out her phone, eyes never leaving that spot as she taps out a message to Alice.

_All good?_

Alice’s reply comes within seconds. A single, ominous word.

_NO_

Esme smells it then, the redhead’s scent, her sensitive nose picking up the trail that they lost nearly a full day ago. She’s closer than she dared to come before, less than two miles from the treeline and Charlie Swan.

She’s heading deeper into the forest, towards Victoria, before she can second guess herself. She and Rose splitting up seems to have emboldened Victoria, and if there’s going to be a fight, Esme is determined to keep it as far away from Charlie as she can.

As she picks her way through the treetops towards her foe, she takes out her phone and fires off another message, this one to Rose.

_Redhead's back. I need you here_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been reading Midnight Sun recently, and it reminded me of just how much I loved the Cullen family, Esme especially. So, I present this small offering as a token of my affection.


	2. Chapter 2

“No!” Alice drops the styrofoam cup of coffee she’s been “nursing” as the vision hits. “Nonononononono...” How could she have missed this?

How _did_ she miss this?

“Alice?” Jasper, at her elbow, doing his damnedest to not feed off of her panic, let it infect the room.

“Just wait,” Edward says, already in her head.

She grabs the thread and follows it, not forward but back to its source. The seemingly random, innocuous decision that sent them hurtling down this path. She finds it, and it’s so obvious in hindsight. Esme sends Rose off on her own. Victoria, sensing weakness, crawls out of hiding and moves to attack Charlie’s house. Esme moves to intercept, to protect Charlie.

“What’s going on?” She hears Emmett enter the room, sees his frown at the spilled coffee, his siblings’ tension.

“Not sure yet,” Edward murmurs. “Something with Esme and Victoria, give her a second.”

She hears Carlisle’s sharp intake of breath as she focuses on the certainties first. Esme _will_ confront Victoria. There _will_ be a fight. Esme _will_ get hurt. Badly. (Deep breath. Ignore the pained noises Edward is making. Focus, Alice. Focus.) Rose _will_ get there in time to stop Victoria from killing Esme.

Victoria will have a decision to make.

The path splits there, dependent on which instinct wins out; fight or flight. Down one path, the acceptable path, no one dies. Victoria flees, for good this time, and Esme eventually makes a full recovery.

Down the second path, however, is another fight. It’s foolish, reckless. Victoria’s outnumbered two to one. She dies.

So does Esme.

“No!”

Edward’s voice, strangled with terror and grief, pulls her out of her head. There’s a desperation in his eyes. “She can’t, Alice,” he whispers. “She _won’t_.”

She can’t say it out loud, not in front of Carlisle. _She might._

_“No!”_ A growl this time. He runs a hand through his hair. “What are the odds?”

She does a quick calculation. “70/30.” _If we’re lucky. It’s probably closer to 60/40._

_“_ That’s not good enough!”

_What do you expect me to_ do, _Edward? Even if we left now, we wouldn’t get home in time to make a difference._

“Uh, not that this isn’t _super_ fascinating,” Emmett interjects, “but would one of you care to explain what the _fuck_ is going on?”

“You mentioned Victoria.” Carlisle’s voice is deceptively calm. In the few minutes that have elapsed, he hasn’t moved an inch. “And...and Esme.”

“She tricked us,” Edward starts, frustrated. “Victoria. She never left the Olympic Peninsula. Must’ve doubled back to Forks while we were preoccupied with getting to Bella.”

“She still wouldn’t dare to pick a fight with Rose and Esme together,” Alice continues. “So, she’s been hiding, waiting for them to split up.”

“So, she’s a coward,” Emmett says with a shrug. “Thought we knew that already.”

“I’ve known quite a few vampires like her,” Jasper says. “They always single out the weakest link. Go for the easy fight, the easy kill.”

“The weakest link,” Carlisle repeats flatly. “In her mind, Esme.”

“They’re going to fight,” Alice says, drawing all eyes to her. “Esme and Victoria. Tonight. Soon, I think. Esme sent Rose off by herself. It’s the opening Victoria’s been waiting for.”

“Carlisle, she’s going to get hurt,” Edward warns gently. “It’s...it’s not pretty.”

He makes a noise like a wounded animal, but is otherwise silent.

“She’ll...she’ll be okay though, right?” Emmett asks.

This is the part she’s been dreading. “Most likely,” she starts. “If Victoria runs when Rosalie gets there, Esme will be fine. Eventually.” She doesn’t need to tell them just yet that _eventually_ means _August._

“And what. What happens if Victoria doesn’t run?” Carlisle asks. His voice is hollow, detached. Wrong.

_He knows,_ she thinks, and Edward nods once, confirming.

“If she doesn’t run, and there’s another fight, Rose survives,” Alice says. “Only Rose survives.”

“Is there anything we can-”

She’s shaking her head before Emmett can finish his question. “No, it’s happening too fast. Maybe if I’d caught it sooner, we could have warned them not to split up, but...” She turns to Carlisle, and tears would be streaming down her face if they could. “I’m so sorry.”

He doesn’t look up at her, but his voice is sincere. “It’s not your fault, Alice.” He sighs deeply, he’d be crying too if he could. “Whatever the outcome, none of this is your fault.”

There’s exactly one minute of silence that is broken by the chime of Alice’s phone. A text from Esme. _All good?_

She sighs. “It’s starting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note of comfort to anyone who's worried, Esme is *not* going to die. I'm not that mean, I promise


End file.
